LLPT's Best of 2013!! Indie Polishes

*contains press samples

Hi everyone!!  Before I get into it today I just want to chat about something happening in the blogging community right now.  I'm not a nail artist but I do know this-- crediting is important.  Whenever you take a design or technique that you found on the web and recreate it on your own blog/channel/IG/whatever, you credit and link back to the source of inspiration.  It's the decent thing to do and moreover, it's illegal not to.  When a big, well known blogging entity takes that and throws it out the window it is a big deal.  And for those of you who think it's okay,  check your references and consider that spending more time deleting and blocking anyone who suggests your designs aren't original than actually addressing the issue is as big an admission of guilt as anything.  No one is too big to credit, to follow the law, to be a decent person.  Here's a link to a video made by blogger/vlogger Zenorah fully addressing this issue that I shared on my fb yesterday, if you're interested.

Okay, moving on to my next installment of my favorite polishes of 2013... This was the year I had the opportunity to be immersed in the world of indie polishes.  I got to play around with some international as well as domestic brands and the things that impressed me the most are the sheer quality of these polishes (it seems a lesson in testing your product before marketing has been taken to heart by many) and how well defined the individual brands have become.  The gals who succeed and will succeed have a strong and distinct vision of who they are and it's been a joy to discover their world a little bit for myself.  Here are my top picks, in no particular order.

Aussie brand Shades of Phoenix bespoke glitter Phoenix opened my eyes to the possibility of chunky glitter and helped me shed my notion that such things are meant for the nails of preteens only.  It's gorgeous and classy over a sheer jelly and I remember at first being blown away that this was actually easy to apply.

LynBDesigns So Changeable (US) was inspired by the new BBC series, Sherlock.  I drew parallels to the old PBS series featuring Jeremy Brett but the sentiment and energy remains.  Also, that blue to purple duochrome gets me every time.  And the labels!  LynB's packaging is almost as fun to look at as the polishes themselves.  They're each individual to the collection and add a je ne sais quoi to her unique creations.

Alanna Renee Mardi.  This Aussie maker immediately blew me away with her creativity and impeccable formula.  The gorgeous, decadently glitzy and light spirited Mardi was one I didn't want to take off.

I finally learned what the big deal with a-England is this year.  The British brand relaunched the silver chrome Excalibur as a buttery champagne gold with subtle yellow gold flecks.  It's as regal as you can imagine the hilt of the fabled sword to be.  The formula is second to none and the wear time is something else, too.

And, another a-England.  This one is from summer's Burne-Jones Dream collection, a set of holos inspired by Edward Burne-Jones's Briar Rose paintings.  Briarwood captured my heart immediately-- a deep and pensive color with a beautiful scattered holo effect and another amazing formula.

Aussie indies ruled the world this year!  Celestial Cosmetics, a baby indie as of this past April, launched a collaborative Game of Thrones inspired collection of polishes with e-tailer Color4Nails.  The set is full of special effects beauties-- thermal holos, glitters, and duochromes.  The darkly seductive midnight-to-purple shifter called King Slayer was the polish that reminded me to start compiling a Top Ten list.  In fact, this might be my #1 of the year.  It's hard to commit.

Our Brazilian nailista sistas know their glitter and I've had fun playing with a cross-section of unique and sparkly beauties from our neighbors to the south.  A major standout for me was Vermelho Accessories Dorothy Shoes.  Think China Glaze Ruby Pumps on steroids.

Glam Polish (AU) Evanora on NUUUUBS!!!  Amazing things are coming out of Glam (stay tuned!) and this glittery, holo-y emerald stunner is just the tip of the iceberg (bonus points that I can finally stop ogling Candice's prototype every time I go to her house... oh, who am I kidding, I still will ;)).
 

Honey Bunny Lacquer (US) is all rock & roll themed; another fledgling indie with fabulous potential.  Black Gives Way To Blue, from the Alice In Chains collection, is remarkable-- if you like deep, dark, lit from within midnight blue-blacks, which I do.  A LOT.

Last but not least is Shimmer Tracy.  I've been an admirer of this line from afar, so I was ecstatic to learn that Shimmer glitters are every bit as wonderful as they appear, and that everything I'd read about them is true.  It's hard to choose just one in the vast array of glittery goodness this brand has to offer but of what I've tried, I have to go with Tracy.  This complex, full coverage gold and holo glitter is nothing short of fabulous and my overall experience with all things Shimmer lead me to believe this brand can do no wrong.  Stay tuned for more Shimmer in 2014, too.

And there you have it, once again!  Not all of these were 2013 releases but they were all introduced to me this year and I'm positively STOKED to see what the indie world has to offer in '14.

Thank you for reading and have a lovely evening!!

*contains press samples